Eloy Fritsch

Born in 1968 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil, keyboardist and synthesizer specialist Eloy Fritsch first encountered an eclectic range of sounds through the broadcasts of a local radio station where his father served as an electronic engineer. This early immersion soon sparked an affinity for demanding progressive rock acts such as Rush, Yes, and Genesis, prompting the young musician to take up piano, cello, and additional string instruments. In 1983 he joined forces with vocalist-bassist Chico Casara, drummer Chico Fasoli, and guitarist Ruy Fritsch—his brother—to establish the prog-rock ensemble Apocalypse. Although the group remained silent on record until the start of the 1990s, it quickly compensated with a steady sequence of releases: the self-titled Apocalypse in 1990, Perto do Amanhecer in 1995, Aurora dos Sonhos in 1996, Lendas Encantadas in 1997, and Live in USA in 2000. Meanwhile, Fritsch accumulated a growing stockpile of unused original pieces, which ultimately led him to pursue an independent solo path. From the mid-1990s onward he maintained a near-annual release schedule, issuing Dreams in 1995, Behind the Walls of Imagination in 1997, Space Music in 1999, Cyberspace in 2000, and Mythology in 2001. Parallel to these activities, he completed a PhD in Computer Music and joined the faculty of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre as an instructor of Electronic Music. In 1999 he also founded the Electroacoustic Music Lab within the university’s Institute of Arts, an facility that maintains the most extensive holdings of computers, keyboards, music software, and recording gear anywhere in southern Brazil.